May 2011
Ghulam Akbar Malik- He found the valuable manuscript of the Quran, dating back to the 12th century, during an excavation trip to the Pakistani city of Jhelum. Malik came across the 900 year old manuscript in the salt range and its adjacent territory that has been home to many archaeological discoveries. This 900-year-old manuscript is written on Papyrus, which was first invented and used by the Chinese before the invention of modern paper.As per the Malik, this ancient script of the Quran has been written by Sirajuddin abu Tahir Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Abdur Rasheed during the 12th century.
Ajit Kumar Seth, A 1974 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre was appointed the Cabinet Secretary of India. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cleared the appointment. Prior to being appointed as Cabinet Secretary, he served as Secretary, Public Grievances and Co-ordination in the Cabinet Secretariat. Seth will serve for fixed two year tenure. He succeeded K M Chandrashekhar who is due to retire in June 2011.
Ustad Mahmood Dholpuri-Eminent harmonium player and Padma Shri awardee Ustad Mahmood Dholpuri died in New Delhi on early morning on 25 May 2011. He was introduced to harmonium at an early age of 11 and went on to train with the masters of Dilli Gharana, including Ustad Nasir Ahmad Khan.Dholpuri regularly accompanied the most prominent vocalists of India, namely Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar, Girija Devi and Pandit Jasraj.
Chidananda Dasgupta - Renowned film critic, historian and a pioneer of the film society movement in India, Chidananda Dasgupta, died on 22 May 2011. Father of actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen, he was born in Shillong in 1921The. In 1947, Chidananda, along with Satyajit Ray and Hari Sadhan Dasgupta, founded the Calcutta Film Society. More than a decade later, the Federation of Film Societies of India was set up on his initiative. He is credited as one of the early pioneers who carved a space for serious film criticism in India.
Farmer leader Mahendra Singh Tikait who headed the Bharatiya Kisan Union passed away. He was largely successful in using the farmer power effectively to launch agitations that would rattle government in Lucknow and New Delhi. Tikait`s most spectacular show was at Delhi`s Boat Club lawns in 1988 when nearly five lakh farmers from western UP occupied the entire stretch from Vijay Chowk to India Gate. Rajiv Gandhi government was forced to accept his 35-point charter of demands that included higher remunerative prices for sugarcane and waiving of electricity and water charges for farmers.
International Monetary Fund Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested and later refused bail in a sex assault case following an appearance in a New York City courtroom. The judge, Melissa Jackson, ordered Mr. Strauss-Kahn to be held without bail pending grand jury action on the case.
K.V.KAMATH-The Board of Directors of Infosys Ltd met on 30 April 2011 decided to appoint K.V. Kamath as Chairman of Infosys after N.R. Narayana Murthy, steps down from his position as Chairman on 20 August 2011. The appointment of Gopalakrishnan as co-Chairman of Infosys reflected the company’s desire to maintain continuity at the top of the company.The company`s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director S. Gopalakrishnan was also appointed as co-Chairman of the board. Chief Operating Officer S.D. Shibulal will take over Mr. Gopalakrishnan`s duties. All the appointments are to take effect from 21 August 2011. Founder of Infosys, Murthy was appointed Chairman Emeritus.
JARBOM GAMLIN-Following the death of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Dorjee Khandu in the Pawan Hans Chopper crash, Arunachal Pradesh Power Minister Jarbom Gamlin was sworn in as the new Chief Minister on 5 May 2011. The oath of office was administered by Governor General (retired) J.J. Singh at the Raj Bhavan.
SIR HENRY COOPER(76)-Former British boxing legend, has died aged 76 on 1 May 2011. He was one of the sport`s biggest personalities and was a cult figure both in and out of the ring.The heavyweight was best known for knocking down a young Cassius Clay now known as Muhammad Ali in 1963. He went on to enjoy a hugely successful professional career though he never won a world title and retired, aged 36, in 1971.He was the first to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award twice (in 1967 and 1970) and one of only three two-time winners in the award`s history. In 1970 he cemented his reputation as one of the greatest post-war boxers by becoming British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion.He received knighthood in 2000.
S.C. CHETAL-He took over as Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam on 29 April 2011. Before taking over as IGCAR Director, Chetal was its Director, Reactor Engineering Group. He contributed significantly to the design and development of the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam.The IGCAR is the architect of Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) programme and it has designed and developed the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) under construction at Kalpakkam.
G.S.CHATURVEDI-The Indian government on 2 May 2011 appointed Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as petroleum secretary and shifted incumbent S Sundareshan to the ministry of heavy industries. Chaturvedi who is 1977 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre is currently the Special Secretary Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance. Chaturvedi is also presently serving as a special director general in the Commonwealth Games’ organising committee.